News Briefs

Al Mezan Meets Fishermen in Gaza City to Assess Their Basic Needs

fiOn Sunday, 7 May 2017, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights met 12 fishermen to discuss issues that the fishermen are faced with in Gaza City. Their meeting was held in the Gaza City port in the premises of the Fishermen’s Union, which overlooks the fishermen’s cove.

Khalid Abu Isbetan, Al Mezan’s field worker who led the discussion, took away that one of the most prominent issues faced by the fishermen is the increasing level of sand that is covering the bed of the port pond. The height between boats and the seafloor bed is currently only about two meters. The high level of sand in the cove poses a threat to a safe entry of boats into the port and may lead to the stranding of fishing boats – particularly larger vessels – therewith putting lives of fishermen and their equipment at risk. Under normal circumstances, the depth of the port pond should not be below seven meters.

The fishermen added that they had already contacted various concerned authorities, including the Ministry of Transportation, to address this problem, however their requests for a meeting went unanswered.

Al Mezan’s field worker Khalid Abu Isbetan agreed to follow up on their complaints with the relevant authorities, and conveyed Al Mezan’s support in their quest to address this problem.